Still Crazy

BUY

General		Extras
Category	Comedy	Theatrical Trailer(s)	Yes, 1 - 1.33:1, non-16x9, Dolby Digital 5.1
Rating		Other Trailer(s)	Yes, 1 - Dolby Digital City
Year Released	1998	Commentary Tracks	None
Running Time	91:45 minutes	Other Extras	Featurette-Behind The Scenes  Filmographies-Cast & Crew
RSDL/Flipper	No/No	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region	2,4	Director	Brian Gibson
Studio Distributor	Columbia TriStar	Starring	Stephen Rea Billy Connolly Jimmy Nail Timothy Spall Bill Nighy Juliet Aubrey Helena Bergstrom Bruce Robinson
Case	Transparent Amaray
RRP	$34.95	Music	Clive Langer

    What follows is at times a funny, and at times a poignant, look at and tribute to the rock world of the seventies. Whilst the story is not the most coherent ever, the overall feel of the film is very believable. A typically British film, the characters are all a little eccentric and are well captured by the cast (which is a polite way of saying that the Brad Pitts of the world, these blokes aren't). It also helps that several of the cast actually are musicians, most notably Jimmy Nail who has had gold records in the United Kingdom. Highlight for me (as ever) is the laconic Billy Connolly, who also acts as narrator for the film, but there is no weak link here at all. Bill Nighy well captures the fragile ego of the lead singer who was never really accepted by some band members after the original lead died. But what really helps this film succeed is the music, and for songs specifically written for the film, this actually is pretty good music, well reminiscent of the era; certainly evocations of British blues-based bands of the seventies like Status Quo are brought to mind whilst listening to the music. The only let down possibly is that the ending is a little too predictable, but overall this is an enjoyable view indeed.

Video

    The transfer is presented at an aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and it is 16x9 enhanced.

    This is a very clear and very sharp transfer throughout, with some very nice detail throughout. Shadow detail is very good, especially considering that much of this film is shot at night and in darker buildings; this could have been a serious problem if the transfer had not been as good as it is.

    The colours are nicely vibrant throughout, although a little rich in tone. The film has an overall dark tone to it, but this comes across as a typically British, realistic palette - one frankly that I find refreshingly natural when compared to American films. The colours are consistently rendered throughout.

    MPEG artefacts? None that I noticed, apart from a very slight loss of focus in a panned shot at about 77:29. Film-to-video artefacts? None that I noticed, apart from a very minor jitter at about 53:41. Film artefacts? Some very minor blemishes that were barely noticeable at all. In other words, another fine effort from Columbia TriStar.

    Unusually however, there are some serious clangers in the packaging details regarding subtitles and languages. The packaging lists English, French and Arabic subtitles, whereas there are actually fifteen subtitles on the disc - and they do not include French or Arabic! To be fair however, Columbia TriStar have responded to our advice of this and will be fixing the error as soon as possible.

Audio

    There are two audio tracks on the DVD, being Dolby Digital 5.1 efforts in English and German. Again the packaging is in error here, stating that there is a French track instead of a German track; this too will be corrected by Columbia TriStar as soon as possible. I listened to the default English soundtrack.

    The dialogue was clear and easy to understand at all times.

    There did not appear to be any problems with audio sync with this transfer.

    The music is credited as being from Clive Langer, but that is only part of the story. The band's repertoire - which is all original I think - has been penned by Clive Langer as well as two damn fine songwriters - Mick Jones of Foreigner and Chris Difford of Squeeze. And the result is a damn fine soundtrack that actually is damn listenable in its own right. This has really contributed enormously to the success of the film, as evidenced by the nomination for Best Song at the Golden Globes.

    This is a really nicely put together soundtrack that makes effective use of the surround channels without having the music overpower everything. The sound picture is very believable and you are very nicely placed into the action throughout.

    The bass channel was not overly used in the soundtrack, but when it was, it was very effectively used indeed. Take particular note of the one song sequence where Ray goes for a gothic feel to the song and has Hughie really crank up the sound. Very nice indeed, even for a bass sensitive person like me.

Menu

Theatrical Trailer

Filmographies - Cast and Crew

Featurette - Behind The Scenes

• Pan & Scan version

    Another fine video transfer from the best at it.

    Another fine audio transfer from the best at it.

    Just a little more effort on the extras would be nice though. I would die for a Billy Connolly commentary on this film and a music only soundtrack!

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

© Ian Morris
13th November 1999